Today’s rapidly evolving energy sector and its success in enabling the energy transition heavily depends on industry-specific accreditations, which many argue are critical more now than ever.
Certifications not only signify a company’s commitment to excellence and sustainability but also ensure compliance with global standards and best practices. They facilitate the enhancement of operational efficiency and foster innovation, with the right accreditations unlocking numerous opportunities for growth and leadership in the competitive energy landscape.
10. Passivhaus
A globally recognised accreditation, a Passivhaus accreditation ensures awardees are expertly qualified to design high-performance, highly efficient buildings. It is renowned for its rigorous standards in energy efficiency and aids with significantly reducing energy consumption, cutting heating and cooling needs by up to 90%, as well as lowering utility bills. Passivhaus is backed by more than 30 years of international evidence and facilitates a range of proven approaches to deliver net-zero infrastructure.
9. Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE)
CASBEE is the green building certification programme used in Japan to evaluate and rate the environmental performance of buildings and the built environment. Established in 2001, CASBEE was developed by a research committee founded on collaboration between academia, industry and national and local governments. It is designed to enhance the quality of people’s lives and to reduce the life-cycle resource use and environmental loads associated with the built environment.
8. Living Building Challenge
The Living Building Challenge focuses on the relationship between impact and effort. It is an international sustainable building certification programme, founded in 2006 by the non-profit International Living Future Institute as a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification programme that promotes the measurement of sustainability in the built environment. With the core belief that regenerative design should be attainable to everyone, everywhere, it is posed as the most effective way to achieve a high-quality, high-performance project.
7. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB)
Known as the German Sustainable Building Council in English, DGNB is a building’s certification consisting of documentation packages. It comes in three certification levels for proposed buildings and those nearing completion: Silver, Gold and Platinum, with its Bronze accreditation given to buildings already in use. The DGNB System is based on the three central sustainability areas of ecology, economy and socio-cultural quality, which are equally weighted in the assessment.
6. WELL Building Standard
A standard put forward by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the WELL Building Standard supports wellbeing through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind by marrying best practices in design and construction with evidence-based health and wellness interventions. It enhances energy efficiency through efficient building systems, optimised operations and renewable energy integration. By promoting energy conservation and sustainable practices, WELL ensures reduced energy consumption, lower operational costs and a healthier, more sustainable environment for its occupants.
5. Green Star
Green Star is an internationally recognised Australian sustainability rating and certification system with four rating tools that provide a means of certification for building design and construction, operation, fit-outs and communities. Billed as one of Australia’s leading sustainability rating tools, since its inception in 2013 it has worked to provide a fresh approach to energy thanks to Green Star’s belief in the power of clean energy to transform our planet for the better.
4. Energy Star
For more than 20 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR programme has been America’s resource for saving energy. The scheme is administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and is adopted by thousands of organisations, with nearly 40% of the Fortune 500 partnering with ENERGY STAR. It helps deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions that protect the climate, improve air quality and protect public health. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners have helped American families and businesses save 5tn kWh of electricity, avoid more than US$500bn in energy costs and achieve 4bn metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.
3. ISO 5000
Designed to support organisations in all sectors, this ISO standard provides a practical way to improve energy use, through the development of an energy management system. It is facilitated by the International Organization for Standardization, an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organisation composed of representatives from the national standards organisations of member countries. ISO 50001 is developed for organisations committed to addressing their impact, conserving resources and improving the bottom line through efficient energy management.
“The new ISO 50001 standard for energy management systems can help safeguard our future by making a positive difference in the here and now,” said the International Organization for Standardization.
2. Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
One of the world’s most well-known certifications, BREEAM has helped improve asset performance at every stage, from design through construction, through use and refurbishment since its launch in 1990.
BREEAM looks at sustainability from different angles, with millions of buildings around the world registered to its holistic approach to achieving ESG, health and net zero goals, enabling greater sustainability for civil engineering projects. The Energy category of BREEAM specifically aims to encourage the specification and design of energy-efficient building solutions, systems and equipment that encourages the reduction of SO2 and NOx associated with the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation.
1. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Topping the list is LEED, widely recognised for sustainable building design and construction. It is the most widely used green building rating system worldwide and is available for virtually all buildings. There are more than 197,000 LEED projects worldwide across 186 countries and territories.
LEED v5 is the newest version of LEED and marks a transformative milestone in the built environment’s alignment with a low-carbon future. It also addresses critical imperatives such as equity, health, ecosystems and resilience.
LEED-certified buildings, the organisation behind it says, are critical to addressing climate change and meeting ESG goals, enhancing resilience and supporting more equitable communities. It looks at the big picture, factoring in all critical elements that work together to create the best infrastructure possible.
source: energy digital
